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Product Support

Data Sheets

Frequently Asked Questions

Before You Buy

You should only use video converters and extenders if it is absolutely necessary to do so. In many cases, most video converters and extenders are not necessary if you purchase the correct cable.

The following table lists the maximum length of cable for common video standards.

Video standard

Maximum length

DisplayPort

50 ft. (15.2m)

HDMI

50 ft. (15.2m)

DVI

50 ft. (15.2m)

VGA

200 ft. (71m)

Note: StarTech.com offers cables longer than what is listed above, including active cables, which typically include built-in active signal boosters that allow for longer cables. Active cables are specifically designed to exceed the suggested maximum lengths and are tested at the listed specifications (for example, the maximum listed resolution).

Video adapters

Video adapters passively adapt a cable from one connector type to another. Video adapters do not change the signal type, or change the video standard.

Examples of common applications for adapters include the following:

DVI-I to VGA

RCA to BNC

Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort

Couplers (female to female, or male to male)

Note: You can use a coupler to extend a cable for a short distance. However, each coupler that you use can introduce signal loss, which degrades the signal quality.

Video converters

Video converters actively process and change the signal type from one video standard and convert it to another standard. They are typically used to convert digital to analog and vice versa, but can be used to convert a digital signal to another digital video standard (for example, HDMI to DisplayPort).

Video converters work over short distances from the source to the destination: up to 15 feet or 3 meters.

Video extenders

Video extenders convert an input signal to a higher voltage for transmission over longer distances and then convert the input signal back to the original video standard. The input and the output signal will match on a video extender, as the same video standard is maintained end-to-end. If a cable is extended with adapters or converters, the signal quality degrades.

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There are two types of VGA cables: 14-pin and 15-pin. 14-pin cables will work in most applications, but 15-pin cables may be required for wider display compatibility. This product is a 14-pin VGA cable.

Pin 9 was removed from 14-pin cables because the key signal became obsolete with modern computer monitors and was no longer used in the default applications of the VGA standard.

However, Pin 9 has recently been reintroduced as a power supply pin to power circuity in certain displays. This pin does not power an entire display, but it is required for data communication between the display and the computer. The data communication between the display (Display Data Channel or DDC) communicates display information such as maximum resolution and the name of the display.

If you are unsure which cable type you require for your application, you can check the manufacturer specifications. Typically, computer monitors only require 14-pin cables and televisions require 15-pin cables.